7 Days Before Christmas
by Kai-Dranzer
Summary: The Bladebreakers has forgotten all about the spirit of Christmas. Now it's up to one girl to remind them what Christmas really is about. In 7 days. oneshot


A/N: Here's the Christmas Special you all been waiting for! This story is one-shot by the way but it's super long, probably one of the longest I've ever done. Hope you enjoy it!

R&R!

* * *

**7 Days Before Christmas. **

"A Christmas party?" Ray repeated after Jade incredulously. Uncertainly, he scratched the back of his neck and moved his shoulders as he regarded the raven-haired girl. "I don't know…What do you think, guys?"

The last part was directed at the rest of the Bladebreakers. The team sat in the living room of Tyson's house, nursing a cup of hot green tea each as snow gently fell from the evening sky outside. The white stuff of winter caked the garden in layers of whiteness and a soft breeze blew the chill of the air into the room through the open sliding door that faced the garden.

"I'll be flying back to the states in a week so I don't think I'll be around for the party." Max said with a look of apology.

"Come on, Max. You can fly back to the states anytime you want." Jade said. "Christmas only comes once a year."

"Yeah, I know." the blonde kid sighed. "What I mean is so does my mom's vacation. She only gets a vacation once a year and that's usually at the end of the year. Rest of the year, she's busy taking care of her team."

Jade rolled her eyes. "Then maybe she shouldn't have signed up for the babysitting job."

Max shook his head. "I'm sorry, Jade."

She sighed and turned to Tyson and Kenny. The Chief was engrossed inserting data into Dizzi on the latest update he had done on Dragoon. Tyson was indulging himself with a basket of muffins a fan of his had dropped off. He has eaten at least ten and still has not developed the cutesy to ask his friends if they would like one. Not that they wanted any after the way he had drooled all over the muffins.

"What about you, Tyson? How does a Christmas party sound?" she asked hopefully. _At least I know I can depend on good 'ol Tyson when it comes to parties. He loves parties…_

To her shock, Tyson shook his head. "Count me out. I've got to get back in shape for the next tournament." he patted his already bulging tummy. "Dragoon and I are going to do some serious training. Kenny is doing up the training schedule."

"Well, this is quite a shocker." Kai remarked, smirking as he drank his tea. "Imagine that. Tyson training."

"Shut up, Kai." Tyson snapped. The threat in his tone would have been clearer if his mouth hadn't been full at the moment with muffins.

"You, train?" Jade scoffed. "I agree with Kai here. You never train."

"Hey, it can happen." the navy-haired boy protested.

"Right…" she grinned as she tossed her head back. "Anyway, why do you want to train now? We just won the last World Championship last month and the next one doesn't start until April next year."

"You guys won. I lost in case you have forgotten. To an amateur wrestler who lost his way in life and took up Beyblading instead." Tyson said hotly.

"Spencer? He was cheating." Jade reminded him. "That doesn't count."

"Yes it does! I'm the world champion. A small fry like him, not literally by the way, I should be able to take without problems regardless whether he was cheating or not! So practice! Practice makes perfect." he said. "You taught me that, remember?"

"Remind me to sew my mouth shut next time." she muttered.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Kai said calmly.

She glowered at her boyfriend. "Not helping here, hon. What about you? Do you think you can muster enough spirit for a Christmas party? I think it'll be fun for you to experience Christmas."

"I don't."

"Then again…you're Kai." she corrected herself without missing a beat. She made a face at him. "Christmas Nazi."

Max shook his head, breaking in before they could start bickering. "What about you, Chief?" he asked the brunette boy hunched over his laptop.

Mildly dazed, Kenny looked up to see everyone's attention turn to him. "What…? Oh, a Christmas party? That sounds like a good idea."

Jade sighed in relief. "Thank you, Kenny! Finally someone who agrees to my idea."

"Although I don't think I'll have the time to make it for the party." Kenny continued guilty.

"Wha-? Why not, Chief?"

"Well, first of all, Tyson here isn't gonna let me off easy and you know how Tyson is when he puts his mind to it." Kenny said, ticking off his reasons with his fingers. "Secondly, my parents are gonna need a lot of help with the restaurant. Business is extra busy this time of the year."

"Terrific." Jade groaned under her breath. Then she turned to Ray. "What's your excuse, cat-boy?" she demanded, green eyes narrowed.

He let the nickname slide just this once. "Nothing. It's just that I've never been much of a Christmas guy. When I was a kid, at around this time every year, food gets kinda hard to get at my village. Not really happy memories there."

"Fine. I'm not even gonna waste my energy persuading you." she said, raising her hands in defeated resignation. "You men are impossible. Don't tell me you never spent Christmas as a team, guys."

"Um, nope." Tyson offered.

She glared at him. "I said don't tell me, didn't I?" then to herself, she mumbled. "All those years living on the streets and I never missed Christmas, not once. Where did all the spirit go?"

"Well, I can honestly tell you it's not in this room." Dizzi chipped.

Trust a wisecracking Bitbeast to get off the last jab.

* * *

After the unproductive conversation with her team, Jade insisted she wash the cups. As a way to release tension. Kai knew better than to deny her that and Tyson was all too glad to get out of washing the dishes. She had no idea how far off her thoughts were on the whole conversation until Grandpa Granger came into the kitchen. 

"Yo, sweetcake." he hollered. "You gonna keep cleaning that cup the whole night? Cause if you're, you're gonna take forever to wash the rest."

She blinked as she acknowledged the old guy, wondering not for the first time how this sweet crazy old man could call her sweetcake without her having the urge to deck him. _Must be part of his charm. Too bad it doesn't run in the family…_, she thought distractedly as she came to the realization that she had been wiping the same cup for the last ten minutes.

"Oh." she muttered, putting the cup away and moving on to clean another. "Sorry."

"You got something on your mind, kid." Grandpa Granger stated. "Care to share?"

"I've just been thinking…" she began carefully. Then she put down the cup and looked at him. "Are they always like this?"

He was momentarily perplexed. "They always like what, dear?"

"Always so…" she struggled with a word to descript the team. "Not Christmas friendly. It's like having five Kai's instead of one."

He nodded, chuckling at her analogy. "'Fraid so, kid. Every year."

"This stinks." she muttered. "Just once I would like them to spend Christmas as a team. What's so hard about that?"

"You got something in mind?" he questioned.

"I want to throw a big Christmas party for them but I don't think I can pull it off. What with Christmas in one week." she told him dejectedly.

"One week is a long time if you use it wisely. Hm…" Grandpa Granger scratched his chin, frowning slightly. "I bet Tyson's little girlfriend would like to help out."

"Hilary?" Jade frowned thoughtfully.

"Well, good luck, kid."

The crazy but crafty old man left the kitchen, leaving her. Without realization, a small smile crept up her lips as an idea started forming in Jade's mischievous mind.

_**Day 1**_

"A Christmas party for the team?"

Jade nodded, bouncing lightly on her feet to stay warm as she stood on the front porch of Hilary's house. The other girl stood at the door, indecisive as she pursed her lips.

It had stopped snowing the next morning but the sides of streets were filled with snow and the roads were slippery with frozen puddles of water. The trees were bare of leaves but instead were decorated by piles of snow that weighed heavy on the branches. Weak rays of sunshine shone down on both girls, offering mild warmth.

"Is this one of Tyson's ingenious idea to get more food?" the brunette girl asked suspiciously. "Because if it is, you can tell him to forget about it."

Jade snorted. "I wish. You wouldn't believe what he said when I suggested the party. He told me he wanted to train for the next championships."

"Tyson?" Hilary burst into laughter. "Train? It's the end of the world!"

"I rest my case." satisfied, Jade crossed her arms in from of her. "So are you in?"

"Sure!" Hilary said excitedly. "I love parties! I love organizing them even more!"

"Great." Jade said in relief. "Finally someone to help me!"

Hilary began listing all that they'll need to do. "We'll need to shop and buy presents, arrange for caterers and hire some bouncers…"

"Bouncers? We're having a Christmas party, Hilary. Not a rave." Jade said.

"To keep Tyson away from the food." Hilary told her.

"Oh." Jade nodded. "Right. Yeah. We'll need definitely a bouncer. Especially if there's gonna be turkey."

"This'll be fun. Are the other guys gonna help out?" Hilary queried.

"Um, no. Max said he has to fly back to the states next week. Ray doesn't celebrate Christmas because it brings bad memories. Kenny's busy with his family restaurant and Kai…well, he doesn't need an excuse. He's just Kai." Jade told her uncertainly.

"Okay, Jade. You do realize that if we are going to have a party, we're going to need guests, right?" Hilary said skeptically as though she was talking to a child. "How can we have a party for the team if the team isn't going to be there?"

"Don't worry." Jade assured her. "I got it all worked out. Just leave them to me."

"Fine. Anything else I should know?"

"Tyson's grandfather agreed to help us out."

Hilary shrugged. "Okay. Good. So…where do we start?"

"I was thinking shopping for party deco."

"Ooh! Goody! I love shopping!"

"Yes. I can see that."

_**Day 2**_

"I kinda thought that sales assistant was cute." Hilary said a matter-a-factly.

"I kinda thought he was gay." Jade returned.

Arms filled with shopping bags, both girls tugged hurriedly up to Tyson's front door as evening fell on their second day shopping for the party. Snow fell down on them at an increasingly fast pace. Their winter wear only proved to lag their movements. Already their clothes were caked with white particles. Once the girls were within the threshold, they removed their snow-covered jackets, shaking them.

"Are you sure the guys are not in?" Hilary asked, cocking her head slightly as she listened for any telltale noises.

"Positive. Tyson said he wanted to train and he insisted Kai help him out." Jade answered carelessly.

"Training in this weather?" Hilary shook her head. "I'm surprise Kai even agreed."

"You'll be surprised by how persuasive I can be if I feel like it." the other girl informed her, setting the shopping bags on the floor. She removed the scarf wrapped around her throat followed by her wool gloves. Those she tossed onto a hanger by the door.

Hilary copied her notions. "What about Max and Ray?"

"I made them go with Tyson and Kai." Jade continued, shrugging carelessly. Then she hollered, "Yo, Grandpa! We're home!"

"There you ladies are!" coming out of the living room, Grandpa Granger greeted them loudly. "Did you enjoy shopping for …um…clothes?"

Hilary couldn't help but winced from his loud voice. "Clothes? What are you talking about? We didn't go shopping for clothes--."

"Jade's back? Great!" Max's voice floated from the living room. "Maybe she can help us settle it."

Hilary let out a small 'eep' as Jade quickly realized why Tyson's grandfather was acting so odd. Thinking fast, she grabbed several of their bags that were filled to the brim with wrapped presents and party goodies and tossed them outside into the blistering cold. She slammed the door close just as Max and Tyson came out of the room.

"Hey, Hilary." Max said bobbing his head. "I didn't know you were here too."

Hilary smiled weakly. "Neither did I. Know you were here. Why are you here?"

"The weather got worst so Tyson decided to call it a day." Max answered.

"Where are your shopping bags?" Tyson asked curiously. "You girls usually always come back with something. So where are your stuffs?"

"We couldn't find anything that we liked." Jade answered smoothly.

"Yeah." Hilary nodded quickly.

Jade ignored the side glare the brunette sent at her as she smiled gamely at the two boys. "So can I help you with something?"

"Oh, right." Max remembered now what he was supposed to ask her. "Which do you think is better? Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings?"

She stared at them, disbelieving. "This is the big argument you guys couldn't settle on your own?"

Next to her, Hilary rolled her eyes. "Typical men."

"Hey, this is important." Tyson snapped.

"Why didn't you just ask Ray or Kai?" Jade asked wearily.

"Because Ray hasn't read any of those books and Kai went off back to his mansion. Plus I doubt he reads any of those kind of books" Max explained. "So? Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings?"

"I don't know…I don't really care." Jade said in frustration. "Does it matter? They're just books!"

"Yes, it does." Dragoon's master said defensively.

When they both gave her a look of impatient determinacy, she knew they were not going to let her off until she gave an answer. She groaned. "Alright! Um...Harry Potter."

"Yes!" Tyson let out a triumphant cry. "Harry Potter rule!"

Max rolled his eyes at his bestfriend. "Whatever, Tyson."

"Jeez, Tyson. I knew you're immature. But I didn't know you were this immature." Hilary sneered at the navy-haired boy. "How old are you again?"

"I'm sixteen, thank you every much!" Tyson retorted heatedly.

"You're acting like a five year old!"

"Get a room." Jade muttered under her breath.

"Ewww!" both of them made a face.

"Okay. Now if that is settled, let's help Ray get dinner up and running for tonight." Grandpa Granger said enthusiastically, literally pushing the boys into the kitchen.

Before he disappeared into the kitchen, Grandpa Granger glanced back at the girls and winked mischievously, signaling to them he got them under control. Once they were out of sight, Hilary and Jade allowed a sigh of relief.

"That was close." Hilary said.

Jade agreed. "Too close. Thank goodness boys are usually daft."

"Not Ray and Kai." Hilary reminded her. "If they catch us, they'll figure out what we're up to."

"Yeah…So less close calls, more sneakiness."

On that both girls found a common ground. As they opened the front door to retrieve their shopping bags that were now covered with snow, Hilary shot Jade an amused look.

"So…Harry Potter?"

"Hey, don't knock it till you try it."

"Yeah…but Harry Potter?"

Jade was defensive. "I always kinda thought Daniel Radcliffe's cute."

"Now, Jade, what will Kai say?"

"At least he isn't gay."

"I'm telling you that sales assistant is not gay!"

_**Day 3**_

It was the sound of silent footsteps that drew Kai awake for sleep. He opened his eyes, glanced at the clock by his table stand.

_7:10 am._

He yawned, leaning forward to rise up on his elbows. He was still groggy from sleep but when a familiar figure moved toward the door, his senses drew alert.

"And where do you think you're going at this hour?" he drawled.

Jade froze at the door, swearing under her breath for getting caught. She could have sworn she was moving as quietly as possible. _Damn Kai and his super-well-trained hearing…. _

Putting on her sweetest smile, she turned to face him. "You're up early."

"I always awake up at this hour." he deadpanned shortly.

_Okay. Damn him and his getting-up-early habits…_Not loosing the smile, she calmly pulled on her jacket, brushing back her hair. Kai lifted an eyebrow, noting that she was already dressed, waiting for her explanation.

"I'm going out with Hilary." she said. _Not lying here…just not telling the whole truth…_

"Since when were you and Hilary so good friends?" he asked.

"Hey, can't a girl have her girlfriends?" she said feigning defensive. "Imagine how I feel, hanging out with a group of guys day in day out. It's bloody boring!"

The last part she threw in an extra melodramatic spice to her act and an innocent pout she knew would melt his cold heart. It worked every time as it did now.

Sighing in resignation, Kai muttered, "Fine. Have fun."

"I knew you would understand." smiling victoriously, she came over and gave him a quick kiss over his lips. "See you later, luv."

"Be careful." he called after her as she headed for the door again.

"You know me." she said sassily and disappeared behind the door.

Kai chuckled and proceeded to take a shower. After he had pulled on a black shirt and a pair of jeans, he reached for his wallet and flipped it open, checking his money. He smirked when he made a mental note she hadn't taken any of his money. He was about to slip the wallet into his back pocket when a thought occurred and he checked it again. He groaned.

_Darn girl took my credit card!_

_

* * *

_  
Hilary erupted into laughters as Jade waved the platinum credit card in front of her, grinning. The girls sat at a French café, having breakfast together while Jade told her about that morning's incident. Thankfully it was not snowing and the sun was shining brightly in the winter sky.

"Men can be so dense." she concluded.

"Either that or you must be very convincing." Hilary agreed, bobbing her head as she slipped her tea. "Man, I can't believe you got away with lying to Kai."

"I did not lying to him." Jade reminded her. "I told him I was going out with you which is basically true. I just neglected to mention we were going out shopping for a Christmas party and that I took his credit card."

"Sneaky." Hilary said in approval. Then she moved on to more serious business. "So what on the agenda today?"

"We already bought the presents and party stuffs." Jade mused. "We'll need a caterer. Plus bouncers."

"We'll do the caterers tomorrow. What about where we're going to have the party?" Hilary suggested.

"Okay. Good point. Let me see…." a frown appeared on Jade as she thought of a place suitable to accommodate the party. Then she had an idea.

_**Day 4**_

One of the very important ingredients to Christmas was of course a Christmas tree. The tree that represents joy and life. The tree where families and friends will spend hours decorating its leaves and branches, relishing happy memories and creating new ones together and to finish of, place the star or ceramic angel atop the tree. Where presents will and can be found on Christmas morning.

A definitely must have for a Christmas party.

"I like this one." Hilary said pointing at a tree that was slightly taller than her. She turned to her accomplish in crime. "What do you think?"

"Too short." Jade said shortly and went back to talking on her handphone. "No. Not you, Emily. Although you are kinda…okay, okay. I'm sorry. It's just that the stress is getting to me. Look, just get Director Judy on the phone."

"Any luck?" Hilary asked.

"Not yet. She's getting Max's mom now. Kai's gonna kill me when he sees the phone bill." Jade said, sighing. She spotted a tree. "Ooh, I like this one."

"Nah. The leaves look kind of weak. Pale green." the brunette girl shook her head. She started looking around. "How 'bout that one?"

Jade shrugged. At that same moment, someone on the other end answered and she had to answer. "Hello? Director Judy? Hi. You may not remember me. I'm Max's teammate. From the Bladebreakers…? Yup. That's me…oh, no. Max's fine. He's safe. Actually I need to speak to you about…something…"

Hilary smirked thinking how worry Judy must be when she thought Max was hurt. She glanced around the nursery filled with Christmas trees waiting to be chopping down and taken home to a family who will decorate it for the season. There were a lot of people other than her and Jade. Nearby a father and son was looking at the tree she had been considering at first.

She groaned when they grinned and called the nursery owner over to cut it down. "Not that tree…"

Jade paced the ground next her, looking very agitated. "I just need one small tiny teeny-weeny favor from you…"

* * *

Hilary finally picked a tree that Jade approved of and she had the owner ring up a receipt for it. The man was skeptical at first when Jade told him not to cut down the tree yet. 

"We want it fresh." she explained.

He shrugged accepting her excuse and went off to mark the tree as 'sold'. Hilary glanced at Jade with an odd look.

"Fresh?"

"Hiding the presents is one thing, Hilary. But hiding a tree is another thing." Jade said. Then she added. "I also want it fresh for the party."

Hilary groaned and sighed. "Fine. You win."

"Where and when do you want the tree to be delivered?" the man asked.

Jade wrote the address, date and time on a piece of paper and handed it to him. After she thanked him, she and Hilary left.

After a while, Hilary glanced at her with a look that was between impressed and amused. "So that was you multitasking?"

Jade grinned. "That was me multitasking." on a more sullen note, she grumbled under her breath. "Kai's definitely_ so_ gonna kill me when he see the phone bill…"

_**Day 5**_

"Go, Dragoon!" Tyson yelled, focusing his concentration on maneuvering his blade around the tin cans.

To his satisfaction, Dragoon dodged the offending obstacles with clean sharp turns. The next problem would be how he was going to attack Kai without knocking into the cans. As Tyson was thinking, Dranzer spun into his view as though mocking him. Its owner stood across the battleground with his arms crossed in front of him, waiting patiently. The smirk on Kai's pale face told Tyson he actually enjoys watching Tyson struggle. Tyson refused to give him that satisfaction.

"Attack him!" he snapped at his blade.

Kicking up dust, Dragoon lunged at Dranzer. The blue blade stood its ground, not moving until the last moment when it dodged to a side causing the white blade to crash into a line of cans behind it.

Tyson groaned when his blade flew through the air and landed at his feet in a halt. "Not again…"

Kai summoned back his blade, catching it out of mid-air before he turned to his teammate. "And you wonder why you lost to Spencer…"

"Gimme a break, Kai." Tyson growled at his captain. "You're supposed to tell me where I went wrong."

"Lemme see…" Kai pretended to ponder. "You're reckless, lazy, greedy, over-confident…"

"I meant in blading!" the navy-haired boy shouted.

Kenny came forward and picked Dragoon up from the ground to inspect it closer. "Don't worry, Tyson. It's not you. It's your blade. I guess the new attack ring was too much for its speed. We'll need to get a new one."

"Great. Let me get Max. His dad's shop has plenty of spare parts!" Tyson said enthusiastically. Grabbing Dragoon from Kenny, he sprinted back into his house, yelling Max's name. He nearly collided into Ray who was just emerging from the house. Thanks to Ray's neko-jinn reflexes, he managed to step aside in time and avoided being run-over.

"Whoa. Where's the fire?" Ray asked.

"No fire." Kenny answered. "He just wants to ask Max something about his dad's shop."

"Guess I should have told him Max was on the phone with his mom." casually Ray shrugged.

"Max's mom is on the phone? What does she want?"

"No clue." Ray glanced around the yard. "Hey, Kai, where's Jade?"

The slate-haired teen shrugged. "No idea."

"I haven't seen her in the last few days." Ray said. "What do you think she's up to?"

"Hanging out with Hilary." Kai answered. "That's what she told me when I caught her sneaking in last night. She's been going out with Hilary a lot lately."

"Aww…poor Kai…feeling neglected by his girlfriend." Dizzi taunted gleefully.

They ignored the laptop. Ray scoffed in disbelief. "Since when were Jade and Hilary such close pals?"

Again Kai shrugged.

From within the house, they heard Max hang up the phone. Moments after, he joined them in the backyard. His face held a look of disappointment and sadness. He looked chest-fallen. Tyson followed him closely, asking what was bothering him.

"Max, what's wrong?" Kenny asked in concern.

The blonde boy sighed. "It's my mom. She called to tell me that she'll be too wrapped up with her job for Christmas to spend time with me. Looks like I'm struck here with your guys after all."

"Don't fret, Maxie." Tyson slugged an arm over his shoulder. "We'll find plenty to do here. Hey, I got an idea! Let's drop by the shops for a while. To get your mind of things."

"Tyson, aren't you suppose to be training?" Kenny reminded him impatiently. on, Chief….A little time-off never hurt anyone." Tyson said easily, grinning.

Ray groaned while Kai rolled his eyes. They were both thinking the same thing. Leave it to Tyson to procrastinate his training in excuse of others until the very last moment.

* * *

Hours later, Max was happily sucking on a lollipop. He had gotten over his disappointment after his friends had bought him a bag of sweets and several lollipops. Tyson had to wrestle his share of sweets away from him just to have some. By now, evening was drawn upon the town. Light snow was falling and shops were decorated with Christmas trees and lights. People were doing their last minute shopping for Christmas. 

"You know, guys…" Max said after a moment. The others stopped to look at him. "Maybe we should have a Christmas party after all."

"That would be nice, Max." Ray said. "But Christmas is two days away. I don't think we can pull together a party in such short notice."

Max sighed, nodding. "I get what you mean, Ray. What a bummer. "

"You'll hate yourself even more when Jade hears about this." Tyson reminded him. "She really wanted that party."

"Okay. Now I feel really bad." Max said and opened another lollipop to chew on.

"Nice going, Tyson." Kenny nudged to his friend.

"I'm sorry!" Tyson yelped defensively.

Later on, he, Max and Kenny ran off into a Beyblade store leaving Kai and Ray to wait outside. Kai found a spot against a wall where he can lean against. To kill time, Ray looked around, slightly envious of everyone who was enjoying the festive season. That was when he spotted someone very familiar.

"Isn't that Jade?" he asked.

Kai opened his eyes and frowning, he glanced across the street where Ray was indicating and saw what the raven-haired boy saw. Jade was sitting in a restaurant, a rather expensive one at that. God, he hoped she wasn't using his credit card there. What in the world was she doing there anyway? She was talking to a man, laughing as he said something probably funny. He wore an expensive tux and his hair was jet black. There certainly was an allure to the man that would draw women to him.

_But Jade?_

As they watched, the man offered her a spoonful of cake and she opened her mouth to allow him to feed her. _She allowed him for goodness's sakes!_

A look of absolute pleasure crossed her face as she tasted the cake. Kai felt a twinge of something tugging at his heart and it made him tense up. He could read her lips as she giggled girlishly, something he had never seen her do when she was with him.

"Oh my god! That might be the best thing I've ever had in my mouth." she was saying.

"Okay. Kai?" Ray spoke up uncertainly. "Is she allowed to do that?"

Kai didn't answer. A foreign emotion twisting his guts, he started walking away. Ray frowned, knowing this was not looking good. There has to be some logical explanation behind her actions. Like maybe the man she's with was an old friend and she was just catching up with him. He certainly hoped that was the case. For Kai's sake and hers.

_**Day 6**_

Tyson and Max were training again the next day. Kenny had to run off to help his mother with the family business and despite the many years they had known each other as a team, he still could not find the trust to leave his beloved laptop with them no matter how much Tyson pleaded with him. However the Chief had left them under Kai's and Ray's care but soon Ray realized it was just him who was consistently monitoring Tyson and Max.

Kai was sitting on the veranda of Tyson's house, his back rested against a wooden pillar with his arms crossed in front of him and eyes closed in deep thought. Ray had a feeling he knew what his friend was thinking about. Checking on Tyson and Max one last time, he came to a decision and decided to abandon them for the moment.

"Yo, Kai." he began with a friendly grin. "Don't tell me you're still mauling over that guy Jade was with yesterday?"

Kai sent him a glare but his thoughts seemed to erase the potential intimidation his glares could cause. "Leave me alone." he snapped.

That pretty much confirmed Ray's theory. The Chinese boy refused to let up. "You're jumping to conclusions, man. For all you know, that guy could be an old buddy of hers and they were just, you know, catching up."

"In a fancy expensive restaurant?" Kai retorted before he could stop himself.

"Yeah…maybe he's a rich guy." the scowl on Kai's usually stoic face warned Ray that might not be the wisest thing to say. He switched to safer grounds. "Have you talked to her about this?"

To that, Kai looked away and mumbled a quiet 'no'

"And you have your answer." Ray said with finality. "Go talk to her."

"Should you be babysitting those two for Kenny?" Kai said spitefully.

Ray waved a hand in dismissal at the two still battling. "They can live for a few minutes without me. But you...you're acting as if Santa forgot to give you presents. Lighten up."

"Easier said than done." his captain muttered.

"Talk to her." Ray insisted. "Trust me. It will do you both good."

"I don't see you talking to Mariah." Kai returned.

"Ah." Ray turned red, making Kai smirked. "That's a different story, man. Don't change the subject."

Kai inclined his head to stare at Max and Tyson, knowing there was nothing more to be said in this conversation. The neko-jinn sighed, remembering he had experienced a frustrating situation similar to the one he was facing now. Of course that time had been to get Jade and Kai to admit their feelings for each other and despite all that has happened between them with Biovolt and Kai's grandfather, they had ended up as a couple. Right now, the problem was simpler, more commonly faced by most couples but Ray found himself with no idea as to how he was going to approach this problem.

_With them both being so darn stubborn..._

"Tell you what, Kai." he announced suddenly. "If I call Mariah and invite her to come to Japan for Christmas, you must promise me you'll talk to Jade and sort this out."

Kai looked back at him, intrigued by the challenge. He was no fool but he would love to see his friend, usually a smooth talker, turn into babbling idiot when his childhood crush drops by for Christmas.

Ray thought he was hesitating for he added hastily. "I'll even call her right now."

"Alright. Fine." Kai said shortly. "Now go call her."

And for the first time since the conversation started, Ray turned pale, loosing his certainty and confidence. The thought of talking to Mariah could do that to him.

* * *

"Hello? Mariah?" 

Ray glanced up to see if Kai was listening and he groaned to himself when he saw his captain leaning against the door frame next to the phone. Kai watched him with a smirk, his arms folded in front of him and legs crossed at the ankle.

"Yes, it's me." Ray said into the phone. "I- I was just wondering…um…would you like to come down to Japan for Christmas?...no? Oh, okay…No. It's okay. I understand. It was nice talking to you anyway, Mariah. I really missed you and the guys. Say hi to them for me will you…? Thanks. Bye." He hung up and looked at Kai who was waiting for an explanation. "She can't come. Said she's busy and didn't feel like coming to Japan."

Kai shrugged as if to say 'what can you do about it.'

"I guess it's your turn to live up to your end of the bargain." Ray added half-heartedly.

"Alright already. I'll talk to Jade tonight." Kai said impatiently.

_**Day 7**_

The morning before Christmas found the team getting ready for a training session. They were just heading out when Hilary appeared at the front door, nearly colliding into Tyson.

"Watch where you're walking, Hilary." Tyson snapped.

"Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." she said miffed. "What's up, guys? Training again?"

"Yup." Max answered, rubbing his eyes.

Ray was even yawning. "Yeah. Tyson thinks we need to prepare for the next tournament." he mumbled sleepily.

"Bummer." she said and shrugged.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Tyson asked her.

"Me?" she feigned innocence. "I just stopped by to help your grandfather bake some pastries for tomorrow. You do remember that tomorrow is Christmas right?"

"Gimme a break." Tyson groaned.

"Come on, guys." Ray said dejectedly. Mariah's rejection still weighed heavily on his heart for he could not believe she had refused to see him for Christmas. "Let's go."

"Man, you guys are a pathetic sight. Why don't you just take a day or two off?" Hilary said, shaking her head. "After all it's Christmas eve."

"Can't. Kenny and Kai are waiting for us at the park." Max explained.

"It's snowing. You could at least wait till it stops before you go out." she said in concern.

"It's always snowing, Hil. And in case you haven't been listening, Kai's waiting for us in the park. Kenny won't mind if we're a minute late but Kai will literally kill us." Tyson said.

"But guys…"

"Sorry, Hilary." Max said apologetically on be-half of the team as they headed off.

Hilary sighed as she watched them from the door way, feeling sorry for them. _Then again,_ she told herself, _it's their choice. They are the ones who want to train during the Christmas season. Sometimes they can be such morons. They deserve it. _

Grandpa Granger poked his head from the kitchen, listening cautiously for tell-tale sounds of the team and finding none. "They gone?"

She nodded. "Yup."

"Great. Let's get the old ball of flour rolling!" the old man said enthusiastically.

* * *

It was clear to the team that their captain wasn't in a really good mood. Not that he was ever in a pleasant mood to begin with but today he seemed more broody than usual. Tyson and Max thought the cause of his mood swing was because of their lateness although Tyson had protested a thousand times they were only a minute late. But Ray knew the true reason Kai was not in one of his best moods. While Kenny was recording the progress of the other two, Ray found Kai standing under a tree a distance away from the team. Kai's eyes were closed and he looked as though he had fallen asleep standing but Ray knew better. 

"Lemme guess." he began. "You didn't talk to her."

Kai didn't open his eyes to acknowledge his friend's presence. "Kinda hard to talk to a person who keeps coming home after you've gone to sleep and goes before you wake up."

Ray was surprise to hear this. "She went out again? To do what?"

Kai snorted. "Maybe to see her 'old friend.'"

Ray groaned in frustration. "Man, you have got to talk to her. This isn't gonna help the both of you at this rate."

Before Kai could reply, a sudden cry from Kenny made them both glance back at the training grounds sharply. Tyson and Max were staring at someone standing at the entrance of the park and they could hear Tyson shouting at the intruder.

"What do you want now, Ozuma!"

_Ozuma? _

They exchanged wary looks before they broke into a sprint to rejoin the team. There, standing a good ten meters away from them was Ozuma surrounded by the rest of his team, the Saint Shields. Ray tensed, preparing to move for his launcher and blade should a battle break loose.

"What are you doing here!" Tyson demanded of the Saint Shields.

"Some welcoming committee." Mariam commented, tossing her blue ponytail over a shoulder.

"What were you expecting, a welcoming party with cake and presents?" her younger brother sneered.

Ozuma unlike his teammates went straight to the point as he fixed his green eyes on the Bladebreakers. "Word has it that you have become careless with your Bitbeasts. I cannot allow that to happen."

"We're here for your Sacred Spirits." Dunga blurted out

"I thought we already settled this!" Kenny wailed.

"So did we but here we are." Mariam shrugged. "It can't be helped. It's your fault you didn't take good care of your Bitbeasts."

Ray stepped forward. "What are you talking about? We would protect our Bitbeasts with our lives!"

"Prove it." Ozuma said challengingly. "We'll meet here tomorrow. Six-thirty. Same place. We'll settle this then."

"Why not now?" Tyson shot back.

Joseph chortled. "Because you're not ready."

Tyson was insult for he wasn't one to take things lying down. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah." Joseph said but Ozuma cut him off.

"Leave it, Joseph." he said. "We'll settle this tomorrow."

Mariam shrugged carelessly. "Whatever you say, boss."

"Wait!" as Tyson started forward to stop them, the other team leapt off, disappearing so fast they couldn't see which direction they went and the Bladebreakers found themselves staring at an empty space.

Max was the first to break the silence that surrounded them. "Okay… what was that about?"

* * *

Hilary heard the door open and slam shut, making her wince. She risked sticking her head out from the kitchen to see the team back from their training. She was slightly surprise to see them back so soon with forlorn looks on each of their faces. 

"You're home early." she noted. "What happened? Snow got too heavy?"

"The Saint Shields are back." Tyson said seriously. "And they're still after our Bitbeasts."

"What, again? What're you going to do?" Hilary asked, her voice holding worry.

"They challenged us to a battle tomorrow." Ray said grimly.

"Are you really going to fight them?" she asked.

"Don't have much of a choice, do we?" Kai answered distractedly. He looked around the kitchen, frowning. "Where's Jade?"

Hilary shrugged. "Um…not here?"

"You mean you didn't see her at all today?" Ray asked.

"Nope." Hilary shook her head. "Haven't seen her the whole day."

"Can we deal at the problem at hand now?" Tyson snapped suddenly. "The Saint Shields are back for our Bitbeasts! We have to think of a way to beat them."

Max nodded. "Hate to say this but Tyson's right."

"But you can't be thinking of fighting them tomorrow?" Hilary asked. "It's Christmas!"

They sweatdropped. Tyson tried to reason with her. "If we don't fight them, we're only proving them right. That we can't protect our Bitbeasts."

"Fine!" she huffed. "But don't expect any Christmas treats tomorrow!"

With that she stormed back into the kitchen, leaving the boys staring after her in confusion. What was that about? As one, they all glanced at Kai who shrugged. How was he supposed to know how the mind of opposite sex works? He was having enough trouble trying to figure out his own girlfriend.

_**Christmas Day**_

Snow fell on the evening of their battle, cloaking the ground and trees with a white silvery coating. When the Bladebreakers arrived at the intended battleground, the Saint Shields were waiting. The team had spent the whole morning and afternoon at Tyson's dojo pondering over what they were going to do with the latest threat. Surprisingly Grandpa Granger and Hilary did not drop in to disturb them. The silence was appreciated and needed to think.

"Sure took your time." Ozuma said dryly.

"You're late." Mariam said.

"We're here now so let's get down to business." Tyson grounded out, gripping his blade tightly.

"Alright. It'll be just like last time, Tyson." the Saint Shields' leader said. "Except this time I'm gonna win."

"We'll see about that." the navy-haired boy said smugly.

"Tyson." the warning tone in Kai's low voice made him look at his captain questionly. "Be extra careful. They wouldn't be here unless they are confident they can beat you."

"Aw…didn't know you care, Kai." Tyson said, pretending to be touched. Then his confident smirk was back on his face. "Don't worry. I'll finish him off so fast he won't even know what hit him. Then we can go home and enjoy Christmas."

"Good luck, Tyson." Kenny said. His laptop was already up and running in case his friend would require a back-up plan.

"Alright, Ozuma. Let's get the show on the road." Tyson said, yanking out his launcher and fixed his blade into it.

Ozuma did the same. The atmosphere was tense as the question lingered in the air. Why was the Saint Shields still after their Sacred Spirits? Was another evil organization after them again? As Tyson started the countdown, Max glanced at the older two uneasily. Ray looked grimed and Kai's expression was stoic, crimson eyes focused on the battle about to happen. He looked back at his friend about to engage in battle, silently wishing him luck.

"Go, Dragoon!" Tyson bellowed, releasing his blade unto the snow covered ground.

Ozuma copied his motion, launching his blade. Then as his black blade streaked across the snow towards the white blade, he stood back and watched silently with a slight smirk at his lips. Dragoon attacked, lunging at his blade aggressively. Ozuma made notification of the increase in the white blade's spinning speed and the power of its attacks. It has definitely grown stronger from the last time they had fought. His smirk widened. This ought to be fun.

"Come on, Ozuma!" Tyson yelled at his silent opponent. "What are you, chicken? Attack me already! You can't dodge me forever."

"That's what you think, kid." Dunga sneered.

"We've been training in case the need to battle you should arise again. Don't underestimate us, Tyson." Mariam added warily. "We're much more powerful than last time."

"Oh yeah? Well, so am I." Tyson bit back. "Get 'em, Dragoon!"

To his annoyance, Ozuma's blade dodged again, slipping easily to a side while Tyson's blade speeded past without hitting its target. Once more Dragoon circled its opponent, attacking continuously. The other blade kept dodging.

Kai's eyes narrowed as he studied the movements of Tyson's opponent. This was unusual, very different from the last time Tyson fought the Saint Shields' leader. Ozuma's style was aggressive, filled with the passion of his mission but he was also calculative, using his blade to draw out Dragoon's inner strength and test it to its fullest potential. What he was doing now seemed…harmless. _It's as if he was drawing out the match, stalling…but what for? What is he up to? _

"Ozuma's pattern of attack has changed." Ray commented without taking his eyes off the battle.

"He's not even attacking." Max corrected. "It's strange."

They glanced at Ozuma's other teammates. Dunga was restless as usual, shifting from foot to foot. Joseph seemed bored as he kept at some dirt under his fingernails and Mariam…her eyes were on the fight. Then subtly they shifted, looking at the clock tower that stood that the edge of the playground. The time read close to seven. It was as if she was waiting for something.

Then the long hand of the clock finally struck seven and she moved, stepping forward to her leader's side. Ozuma spared a glance at her and she nodded.

"It's time."

Holding out a hand, Ozuma recalled back his blade and pocketed it without saying anything to his amazed competition. "Let's go."

"Hold it!" Tyson demanded. "This fight isn't over!"

"If that's what you think, then catch us." Joseph taunted and added with a grin. "If you can."

With that, the Saint Shields broke into a leap, moving unto the rooftops. Stunned, Tyson summoned back his blade and gave chase, knowing his team will follow. They followed the other team from the streets as they moved from roof to roof effortlessly without slipping or falling despite the ice and snow. Then without warning they leapt into an alley and kept running.

"Come on, guys!" Tyson shouted in between gasps.

"Where are they going?" Max asked.

They ran more as the Saint Shields led them through a maze of alleys and streets. People out shopping with their families stopped to watch and stare but the Bladebreakers couldn't care less of the attention they were getting. They were going to get to the bottom of this and to do that they had to keep up with the other team.

"I think my lungs are about to burst!" Kenny gasped, struggling to keep up.

Kai frowned for the streets they raced through were familiar to him. Then it dawned upon him where they were being led to. He took lead of his team, cutting Tyson. "Follow me." he ordered brusquely. "I think I know where they're headed."

Exchanging confused looks, the team followed their leader into an alley. They soon lost track of their opponents but Kai wasn't fazed. He already figured the Saint Shields' destination.

The Hiwatari mansion loomed ahead and they spotted four cloaked figures running through the widely opened gates. They followed closely, all the while wondering why the other team would lead them to Kai's home. The house itself was pitch dark from within and the like the gates, the grand oak doors that led into the mansion were open wide like the maw of darkness.

"Hey, Kai? Why are they leading us to your house and why are the gates open?" Tyson questioned.

The bluenette didn't bother answering for he did not have the answers to those questions. He was just as puzzled as Tyson. _The gates are usually closed. Bernard sees to that. The doors shouldn't be open. _Then he swore under his breath. _Jade! Is she alright?_

"Kai!" Max said, pointing ahead.

The Saint Shields penetrated the interior of his home without hesitation. The Bladebreakers followed only to come to a halt within the darken living room. Their only source of light came from the opened main doors. Confused yet determined they scanned the room and Ray quickly spotted the end of a robe disappearing into the next room. They sprinted after them, running into the dark silent ballroom. Their own footsteps echoed back at them along with the unsteady rhythm of their ragged breathing. Only Kai and Ray remained unaffected by the excessive running for they silently gazed into the darkness before them. Their keen hearing picked up breath and the slightest shift of movements within the room.

They were not alone.

"Where are they?" Kenny whispered. He clutched his laptop to his chest for comfort, a futile attempt to deal with his fear of the dark.

Without warning they leapt from the shadows of darkness at the caught-off guard team, screaming.

"SURPRISE!"

The lights came on, throwing the entire room into a daze of bright lights of red and green and many other colors that took the team by surprise. A beautiful tall Christmas tree barely brushing the room ceiling stood in the middle of the room, the center of attraction with its many lights and ornaments among its fresh branches and leaves. A cherub angel perched on the top of the tree, looking down on everyone in the room, showed in what seemed like a holy glow. Presents rested at the foot of the tree, wrapped in colorful wrapping paper in all shapes and sizes. In one corner of the room was a long table filled with exotic food of many kinds, ranging from a roasted turkey to cane candies. The scent alone was mouth-watering.

Standing on the other end of the ballroom with wide huge grins on their faces was groups of people whom with the Bladebreakers were not unfamiliar with.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" they shouted before running forward to greet the stunned team that just stared. For just about everyone they knew and battled against before stood around them, showering them with confetti. Even the Majestics stood near the edge, trying to avoid the rushing crowd.

"Merry Christmas, Maxie." Judy said lovely as she eloped her son in a hug.

"Mom!" Max shouted joyfully as he hugged back. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be busy with work and your team."

"Well, technically I'm still doing my work. I brought the team with me." she answered, beckoning behind Max.

Max turned and his smile grew even wider. "Michael! Emily! You're here too?"

"Hey, kiddo." Michael said, patting Max's head.

"Merry Christmas, Max." Emily said pleasantly.

Steven and Eddy pushed their captain out of the way. "Don't tell me you have forgotten about us." Eddy said jokingly.

"What are you guys doing here?" Max asked too glad to be shock.

"Well, it was Jade's idea." Judy explained. "I'm sorry I had to lie to you but I thought it was a wonderful idea having a surprise Christmas party for you. I wanted to surprise you, Maxie."

"This is the best Christmas present ever!" Max exclaimed, hugging his mother again.

"What, no hugs for your old dad?" another voice asked.

Max spun around. "Dad!"

While Max was surrounded by the All Starz and the love and affection of his parents, Ray was suddenly knocked to the ground by a certain pink-haired girl who squealed his name in delight and joy.

"Ray!"

Ray blinked his golden orbs, once, twice and again to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "M-Mariah?"

His childhood friend stepped back to beam down at him. "Hey, Ray." she said.

"What are you going here?" the raven-haired teen said as he climbed to his feet.

"Missed us, Ray?" Lee asked, appearing behind Mariah. Kevin and Gary were close behind with the shortest of the bunch trying to prevent the biggest in the team from eating all the candy in his arms.

"When did you guys get in?" Ray answered, hugging his bestfriend and ex-teammate briefly.

"This morning." Lee replied.

"Jade called us couple days ago." Mariah said. "She invited us over for this Christmas party. She told us not to tell you about it. So when you called, I had to lie. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Mariah." Ray said grinning from ear to ear. "You're here and that's all that matters."

"WHAT'S UP, HOMIES!"

Out of no where, Tyson's grandfather leapt forward dressed as a Santa Claus. A skinny one at that. A red sack was slung over his shoulder as he went around greeting everyone with presents and wishing them a joyful season.

"Grandpa?" Tyson stared. "You knew about this?"

"Helped planned it, my boy." the old guy said. "You peeps needed a reminder of what Christmas is really about. It ain't just a holiday or about the presents."

"Really? Cause that's what I thought it was about." Tyson said sheepishly.

His grandfather thumped him over the head hard, making him yelped. "Listen hard and listen good, my mini me. Christmas is about getting together and remembering that we have each other, that we ain't alone in this world. We've got friends. We've got family. So be grateful for that!"

"OW!" Tyson yelped again when his grandfather whacked him again. "I get it now, gramps! Stop hitting me!"

"I ain't the only one who pulled this together." Grandpa Granger continued loudly. "Your little girlfriend, Hilary helped too."

"I'm not his girlfriend!" Hilary shouted as she stormed up to them.

"I'll say she did a mighty good job distracting you and your homies." the old feller said mischievously.

Tyson frowned skeptical. "What does that mean?"

"It means it was Hilary who called us in." Ozuma's voice drawled.

"Wha-?" Tyson stared at the Saint Shields standing at the edge of the crowd. "Hilary called you to distract us? What for?"

Hilary rolled her eyes. "How thick can you get?" she snapped. "I need to distract you and the guys in case you guys suspected anything about the party which you didn't anyway and I also needed someone to lead the team back here in time for the surprise. I'll say the Saint Shields did their job well."

"It's our pleasure." Mariam said, amused.

"Although I would like that rematch someday, Tyson." Ozuma added in, not seeming like the serious leader he always was as he held out a hand to the other boy.

Tyson grinned and shook his hand. "No problem."

"Of course." Hilary began. "All this was Jade's idea. She did most of the work, calling everyone and arranging the decorations and the catering of one of the best most posh restaurant in Japan, although Oliver over there…" she beckoned. "…would beg to differ. Good thing she knew the owner of the restaurant. It would have cost us a bomb to pay for all the different types of food she ordered."

"Owner of the restaurant?" Ray looked at Kai smugly. "Looks like you owe someone an apology, Kai."

"Owe who an apology?" Jade piped in. "Hey guys."

"Jade, you did all this?" Ray couldn't help but asked, amazed and impressed.

"Well…yeah." she smirked. "You like?"

"WE LOVE IT!" Tyson declared before he dove for the food. But before he could reach the food, a man grabbed him by the cuff his neck, restraining him. "Hey! What's the big idea?"

"Tyson, you're getting heavier every time I see you." the man said, grinning as he settled the struggling blader on his feet.

Tyson stared, unable to believe his eyes. "Dad?"

"Give your old man a hug, boy." his dad said, kneeling to hug his son.

"Tyson's dad?" Kenny let out a low whistle. "How did you find him?"

"Easy." Jade said shrugging. "A phone call here and there and voila! He's on the afternoon flight back to Japan. Am I good or what?"

"You're amazing." Kai said, smiling slightly at her.

"And you, Mr. Grinch, I have a surprise for you too." she said cheekily and took his hand, leading away from the crowd to where five familiar faces to Kai stood waiting by a balcony window.

"Tala?" Kai stared at the red-haired Russian. Then he looked at the other four. Bryan, Ian and Spencer. Alexis. "What are you doing here?"

"He isn't happy to see us." Bryan stated dryly.

"Typical Kai." Tala smirked and tilted his glass of wine in Jade's direction. "Your girlfriend here called us on the phone, asking us to come for her Christmas party."

"More like threatened." Ian said, glaring at her.

Jade smiled back at the shorter teen. "Relax, short stuff. I was just kidding."

"I'm not short!"

"Anyway she managed to convince us to come so here we are." Alexis said, sipping her drink daintily.

One had to admit Alexis looked great considering she was in a hospital at death's door the previous month. Her soft blonde hair shone with a glow casted by the lightings of the room and her cheeks held a rosy color. Maybe it had something to do with a certain red-haired, blue eyed captain standing at her arm almost protectively.

"Am I good or what?" Jade crowed triumphantly.

"Great. She's expanding." Kai teased dryly.

"Hey!"

Then came Tyson's voice, protesting on the top of his lungs from the center of the room. "I'M NOT KISSING HER! NO WAY! NOT NOW, NOT EVER!"

Followed by Hilary's own protests. "AND I AM NOT KISSING HIM! I RATHER KISS A TOAD THAN KISS HIM!"

"ARE YOU COMPARING ME TO A TOAD?" Tyson demanded.

"SO WHAT IF I AM!"

"Come on, Tyson." Kevin egged immaturely. "Kiss her already. You're standing under a mistletoe. It's tradition."

"NO WAY!" Dragoon's master said.

More people started to gather around Hilary and Tyson, trapping them as Kevin, Michael, Joseph, Steve and Eddy started up a chant for them. "TYSON AND HILARY SITTING IN A CHRISTMAS TREE! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"That looks like fun." Tala said. "Hey, Alexis. We should try that someday."

"You wish." she retorted, punching his arm lightly. But one could easily see she was blushing faintly.

As the Russian team strode off to watch Tyson and Hilary make out, Kai turned to Jade, pulling her aside. "So you've planned all this in a week?"

"Hey, someone had to remind the team about Christmas. I guess the job fell to me." she said, a corner of her lips lifted in a smirk. "So what do you think?"

Kai thought of how he had almost ruined their wonderful relationship by not trusting her. If there was ever a time he would call himself an idiot, that time would be now. He promised himself from now on she had his fullest trust. "I think it's perfect. You're…special."

"Funny." Ray interrupted as he stride up to them. "That wasn't what you told me for the last two days after we saw her in some fancy expensive restaurant being fed by some guy."

"What?" Jade's eyes widened as she stared at her captain/boyfriend. "You saw me at the restaurant? Being fed by some guy?"

Kai shrugged uneasily, embarrassed. "Yeah, well…" _note to self. Kill Ray for telling._

"And you were jealous, weren't you?" she asked knowingly as she crossed her arms in front of her, not at all offended. She was much too amused to be offended.

"I wasn't…" Kai began defensively.

"Yes, he was." Ray cut in again before he ran off.

Kai glared at the neko-jinn's retreating back as he gritted his teeth. "Remind me to strangle Ray the next time he messes with my life."

Jade wasn't listening. She was more interested in the topic Ray brought up. "So you were jealous."

She enjoyed watching him squirm a little then he finally sighed and admitted. "I guess I was…a little."

"You thought for the last few days before Christmas I've been seeing some other guy who works at a fancy restaurant behind your back." She stated, raising an eyebrow at him.

He was adorable when he was defensive. "Yeah…"

"First of all, honey, the guy you saw was an old friend of mine. He owed me a favor so he agreed to cater the food for the party. He was just letting me try out his food that day you saw us. Second of all, I would never cheat on you." she explained carefully, meeting his eyes so that he could see the honesty in her words. After a moment, she added jestingly. "At least not with a guy who works in a restaurant."

"That's comforting." he deadpanned.

"It is, isn't it?" she said with dry sarcasm. Eyes twinkling merrily, she couldn't resist asking. "So just out of curiosity, you were only _a little_ jealous?"

"Don't push your luck, Jade."

"Darn."

"Aww…" the crowd watching Hilary and Tyson suddenly swooned making Kai and Jade glance over at them.

"Okay, people!" Tyson yelled from the center of the circle. "Show's over! Move along now! Nothing to see!"

"Can we see that again?" Enrique asked.

"I think I got that on my laptop." Kenny announced.

"That was some sweet kiss." Dizzi said loudly as she replayed the kissing scene.

"DIZZI!" Hilary and Tyson groaned.

Simultaneously, Kai and Jade rolled their eyes and looked at each other again. Remembering a time similar to this but not quite the same. Back when they were still running from their past, on the night of the gala nite organized by the BBA. The first time they had held each other as they danced in each others arms. Then another time after when he realized that he loved her and told her to keep her from leaving the team for their sakes. He loved her for who she was, what she did for others and how hard she tried.

"Merry Christmas, Kai." she said as she smiled softly at him.

"Merry Christmas, Jade." he whispered. "And thank you."

And he kissed her passionately, not caring whether there was mistletoe over their heads or not. Sometimes tradition was not needed for what was already there. It was special, gentle and tender, filled with meaning of the season. When the kiss parted, he simply held her, grateful that he had her to bring back the meaning for Christmas into his life. It felt nice to be surrounded once in a while by all these people…

"Jade?"

"Hm…?" she muttered into his shoulder.

"Where are all these people staying?" he asked suspiciously.

Silence. Then…

"Okay, that." she looked up at him guilty and laughed nervously. "Actually…that's an interesting question. I've been meaning to talk you about that plus the phone bill and credit card you'll be receiving next month…"

He groaned, wondering what in the world was he going to do with her. "Jade…"

* * *

A/N: R&R! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! 


End file.
